A patient went into respiratory distress while waiting for a doctor's examination
A general patient who came to the family doctor due to swelling in her eye, went into respiratory distress. Thanks to the vigilance and professionalism of the staff who recognized that she was suffering from an anaphylactic shock, she was given initial treatment that saved her life.
Rivka Dahan, a patient at the Lev Kariya General Clinic in the Haifa district, under the management of Dr. Walid Tarbiah, came to the clinic to receive treatment for the swelling that developed in her eye, which was caused by a bee sting the day before.
While waiting, Rivka shared with Shuval, the secretary at the clinic, that she had been stung by a bee and that's why she came to the clinic. After a few minutes, Rebecca began to choke, while trying to move towards the clinic office while moving and waving her hands.
The office staff noticed what was happening and identified that Rebecca was in respiratory distress, and with great resourcefulness quickly led her directly to the nurses' room for treatment.
Dr. Gadir Salem, a family physician at the clinic, was immediately called to the treatment room, during his examination together with the nurse, they found that the patient was having difficulty completing sentences and was having difficulty breathing, from which they realized that it was an anaphylactic shock and immediately gave her an adrenaline injection.
Dr. Vladimir Polonsky, another family doctor at the clinic, joined Dr. Gadir in providing emergency treatment, and together with the nursing team, they provided her with initial treatment for an anaphylactic shock, including steroid infusions and inhalations, and were able to stabilize her condition until the intensive care unit arrived.
A rare phenomenon
Dr. Valid Tarabia, director of Lev Kariya Clinic, explains:
"A delayed allergic reaction is a rare phenomenon, in which the allergic reaction is delayed and begins between 24 and 72 hours (1-3 days) after the The exposure to the allergen, and not as is often the case with typical allergies, when the reaction is immediate."
Rebecca arrived at a hospital emergency room for further treatment, was left for observation and then released to her home. The day after, Rebecca arrived at the clinic to thank the staff for saving her life.
From now on - Epifen syringe
"I came this morning to say thank you and to cherish the clinic team that saved my life, the entire team stood up to help me. Thanks to this case, I discovered that I suffer from an allergy to bee stings and today I carry an Epifen syringe with me," said Rebecca excitedly.
"Rebecca suffered from a delayed and life-threatening allergic reaction to bee stings. Allergy to bee or wasp stings can cause severe and life-threatening reactions. The statistics are that 1-3% of people may die from the introduction of this venom into their body and the development of antibodies against it. Identification of the allergy and referral for appropriate diagnosis and treatment may bring for a complete cure of the aforementioned allergy among most patients" concludes Dr. Gadir.
All the best to the team and lots of health to the lady